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A New Battlefield 5 Map Will Deploy Later This Week

After adding a new map in July, developer DICE is back again with one more addition for Battlefield V. The first-person shooter will receive another brand-new map later this week, and it should be familiar to Battlefield 3 and Battlefield 4 players.

Operation Underground is the latest map coming to Battlefield V, dropping on October 3 for PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One. Battlefield V’s official Twitter account shared a video of the new map, which will see you duking it out against other players in a tight, underground subway tunnel before emerging above ground in a war-torn German city. Operation Underground can be played in Conquest, Breakthrough, Squad Conquest, and Team Deathmatch. Further, Rush will be a supported game mode for a limited time.

Battlefield 3 and 4 featured a map called Operation Métro, and Operation Underground is said to be a spiritual successor to it. Métro’s original designer led the creation of Operation Underground and will allegedly keep Métro’s intense close-quarters combat while removing bottlenecks and adding new gameplay mechanics. You can check out some screens of Operation Underground below.

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Battlefield V’s competitive 5v5 mode has been cancelled. Senior producer Ryan McArthur provided insight on the decision, saying that “the added focus on improving the quality of the experience and adding more of the content you want” resulted in DICE chopping the mode. Battlefield V is currently on sale at the PlayStation Store, alongside a host of other titles like Bloodborne and Red Dead Redemption 2.

from GameSpot – Game News https://www.gamespot.com/articles/a-new-battlefield-5-map-will-deploy-later-this-wee/1100-6470283/

Apex Legends Season 3’s New Golden Vaults Seemingly Can’t Be Opened (Yet)

Season 3: Meltdown has officially begun in Apex Legends, bringing a bunch of new content to the battle royale game. One of the more noteworthy changes is the introduction of a brand-new map, World’s Edge, which sees the Legends fight it out on a massive battlefield of ice and fire. Hidden within that map are mysteriously locked vaults, all of which hide high-level gear. Unfortunately, there doesn’t seem to be any way to open them–or at least, not just yet.

First teased in the Apex Legends Season 3 gameplay trailer, the vaults are scattered throughout World’s Edge. One is in an underground tunnel called The Mine Pass, which connects The Train Yard to the field just outside Fuel Depot. You can find another in the cavern that connects The Geyser to the settlement, located between Capitol City and Overlook. The third vault is also hidden in a tunnel–this one in the cliffs that separate Lava City and Sorting Factory. We’ve circled the locations in the map below.

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The problem, of course, is that all the vaults are locked. In the aforementioned trailer, it was implied that you’d need to destroy one of the flying loot ticks that populate spots on World’s Edge for a random chance of getting a key that opens the vault. Perhaps we’re just plain unlucky here at GameSpot, though, as we haven’t found a key after smashing quite a few ticks.

However, the keys themselves may just not be obtainable yet. If you go up to the door of any of the vaults, you’ll see a timer that’s counting down to Wednesday, October 9 at 10AM PT / 1PM ET / 6PM BST–a little over a week after Season 3 went live. There’s no indication as to what the timer specifically entails, but we’re assuming it’s counting down to when players will be allowed to open the vaults. If that’s the case, we most likely still have a few days before keys start dropping from ticks.

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Given the contents of each vault–a collection of purple- and gold-tier body armor, helmets, knockdown shields, backpacks, and weapon attachments–whichever team gains access to them first will have a tremendous advantage for the rest of the game. So perhaps Respawn is delaying access to the vaults to give players enough time to become acquainted with the new map and have a general understanding of the new Charge Rifle, hop-up attachments, and gameplay changes. Granted, Season 3 hasn’t been live for very long. We could be missing something and there may be a way to speed up the timer and open the vaults right now. We’ll keep looking.

In the meantime, Season 3 introduces plenty of unlockables to work towards, with new recon character Crypto possessing 40 skins and the Meltdown battle pass introducing over 100 rewards–including a cool-looking legendary Pathfinder skin and smoking hot legendary Lifeline skin. Apex Legends is available for Xbox One, PS4, and PC.

from GameSpot – Game News https://www.gamespot.com/articles/apex-legends-season-3s-new-golden-vaults-seemingly/1100-6470281/

Pokemon Go October 2019 Field Research Quests

A new month is officially underway, which means there’s a new batch of Field Research tasks to complete in Pokemon Go. As usual, you can receive these tasks by spinning the Photo Disc at Poke Stops, and each one you complete will net you rewards such as items, XP, or encounters with certain Pokemon.

You can complete as many Field Research tasks as you want each day, but the first one you clear will reward you with a stamp. If you can accumulate seven stamps, you’ll achieve a Research Breakthrough. Not only does this reward you with a ton of XP and Stardust, it also results in an encounter with a rare Pokemon.

In the past, the Pokemon you encounter through Research Breakthroughs would typically be a Legendary. Just as in September, however, each time you achieve a Research Breakthrough this month, you’ll encounter an Eevee wearing a floral crown. This special Eevee first appeared in Go last year to celebrate the release of Pokemon Let’s Go Pikachu and Let’s Go Eevee, giving you another chance to add one to your collection if you missed it the first time around.

Flower crown Eevee will be available through Research Breakthroughs until November 1, when Niantic rolls out a new set of Field Research tasks. Until then, you can see the list of Field Research tasks currently available in Pokemon Go below.

October may have only just begun, but a lot is happening in Pokemon Go right now. Altered Forme Giratina is still available in Raids and will be featured in many of this month’s Legendary Raid Hours. Niantic has also revealed three mysterious new Team Rocket characters who’ll be appearing in the game soon. Meanwhile, October’s Community Day is set for Saturday, October 12.

Pokemon Go October Field Research Tasks

  • Battle a team leader 2 times — Natu encounter
  • Battle another trainer twice — Electrike encounter
  • Battle in a gym 5 times — Machop encounter
  • Battle in a gym — Mankey or Makuhita encounter
  • Battle in a raid — Spoink encounter
  • Catch 10 Pokemon — Magikarp encounter
  • Catch 15 Pokemon — Sandshrew encounter
  • Catch 3 Dark-type Pokemon — Poochyena encounter
  • Catch 3 different species of Psychic-type Pokemon — Drowzee encounter
  • Catch 3 Water, Electric or Fire type Pokemon — Doduo encounter
  • Catch 4 Ice or Grass-type Pokemon — Seel encounter
  • Catch 5 Fairy-Type Pokemon — Marill encounter
  • Catch 5 Normal-type Pokemon — Zigzagoon encounter
  • Catch 5 Pokemon with weather boost — Poliwag or Vulpix encounter
  • Catch a Dragon-type Pokemon — Dratini encounter
  • Earn 3 candies walking with your buddy — Ponyta encounter
  • Evolve a Pokemon — Cubone encounter
  • Hatch 3 eggs — Magmar encounter
  • Hatch an egg — Exeggcute or Hoppip encounter
  • Make 3 Great throws in a row — Onix encounter
  • Make 3 Great Throws — Buneary, Gastly, Anorith, or Lileep encounter
  • Make 5 Great Curveball Throws in a row — Spinda #3 encounter
  • Make 5 Nice Throws — Voltorb encounter
  • Power up Pokemon 5 times — Squirtle, Charmander, or Bulbasaur encounter
  • Send 10 Gifts to friends — Sneasel encounter
  • Take 5 snapshots of Eevee — Gulpin encounter
  • Trade a Pokemon — Bronzor encounter
  • Transfer 3 Pokemon — Sableye encounter
  • Use 10 Nanab Berries while catching Pokemon — Scyther encounter
  • Use 5 berries to help catch Pokemon — Snorunt encounter
  • Use 5 Razzberries to help catch Pokemon — Swinub encounter
  • Use a super-effective charged attack in 7 gym battles — Electabuzz encounter
  • Win 3 Gym battles — Jynx encounter
  • Win 5 raids — Aerodactyl encounter
  • Win a Gym battle — Squirtle, Charmander, or Bulbasaur encounter
  • Win a level 3 or higher raid — Omanyte or Kabuto encounter

from GameSpot – Game News https://www.gamespot.com/articles/pokemon-go-october-2019-field-research-quests/1100-6470277/

Some Of The Best Xbox One Games Are Discounted Right Now

This week’s Xbox One game sales feature the Devil May Cry series and titles from Microsoft’s Xbox Games Studios. However, those aren’t the only games you’ll see discounted this week, as players can expect deals on Cuphead and Dirt 4 as well.

This week seems like a good time to jump into Capcom’s demon hunter series, as Devil May Cry 5, Devil May Cry HD Collection, Devil May Cry 4: Special Edition, and DMC Devil May Cry: Definitive Edition are all discounted. Every game in the series has received positive reviews from GameSpot–except for Devil May Cry 2, which most fans would agree is skippable. Our Devil May Cry 5 review caps things off for the series with a 9/10.

The Xbox Game Studios’ titles in this sale include Crackdown 3, Forza Horizon 4, and Sea of Thieves: Anniversary Edition. My personal Xbox One favourites are also discounted: Ori & The Blind Forest, Sunset Overdrive, and Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice.

You can see a selection of the best deals in the list below, but if you’d like to check out the entire sale, you can do so at the Xbox Store.

Xbox currently has a pretty awesome deal for new Game Pass Ultimate subscribers. For just $1, you get your first month of Game Pass Ultimate and 6 months of Spotify Premium. Unfortunately, you must also be a new Spotify subscriber to be eligible for the free months.

GamePrice (USD)Price (CAD)Price (GBP)
Devil May Cry 5$36$48£27
Devil May Cry 1-3 HD Collection$21$28£17.50
Devil May Cry 4: Special Edition$7.50$7.50£6
DMC Devil May Cry: Definitive Edition$9.90$13.20£7.90
Forza Horizon 4$36$48£27
Sea of Thieves: Anniversary Edition$25$30£20
Crackdown 3$24$32£16
Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice$15$20£12.50
Rare Replay$15$20£12.50
Sunset Overdrive$8$10£6
ReCore: Definitive Edition$10$11£7.50
Cuphead$18$23.40£15.05
Quantum Break$10$7.75£7.20
Ori & The Blind Forest: Definitive Edition$10$10£8
Dirt 4$12$12£11
Zoo Tycoon: Ultimate Animal Collection$10$13£7.50

from GameSpot – Game News https://www.gamespot.com/articles/some-of-the-best-xbox-one-games-are-discounted-rig/1100-6470282/

You Can Finally Get Destiny 2’s PS4-Exclusive Gear On Xbox One And PC

Since the inception of Destiny, Activision has had an exclusivity arrangement with Sony that saw content released on PlayStation platforms first. With Bungie striking out on its own, that deal has finally ended, meaning the last pieces of Destiny 2‘s PS4-exclusive content (released as part of the Forsaken expansion last year) are now available for the very first time on PC and Xbox One. If you’re a player on either of those platforms, here’s what you can look forward to finally getting your hands on.

Exotic Weapon: Wavesplitter

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Perhaps most notable of all is the formerly exclusive Exotic weapon Wavesplitter. This is a trace rifle, of which there are very few in Destiny 2. We noted in August that it was possible for PC and Xbox One players to finally acquire it through some cross-save trickery. Because it was included in Xur’s Fated engram, you could in theory jump on a PS4 and effectively buy the gun directly. If you did that, it should now finally be usable on PC or Xbox One. If not, you’ll be able to find it through Exotic engrams or as a very rare world drop. Alternatively, you can buy a Fated engram once Xur arrives this Friday for a shot at getting one.

New Armor

Next up is a new set of armor for each of the three classes. Titans get the Mimetic Savior set, Hunters get Red Moon Phantom, and Warlocks get Thorium Holt. There’s no direct means of obtaining these, as you’ll need to simply get lucky with Legendary engrams or faction rank-up reward packages. In the early going with Shadowkeep, I’ve already happened upon two of the armor pieces for Titans, though your miles will certainly vary. Whatever the case, you can expect these to drop as Armor 2.0 versions.

Titan’s Mimetic Savior Set

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Warlock’s Thorium Holt Set

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Hunter’s Red Moon Phantom Set

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New Ship

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Additionally, there’s a new ship called The Great Beyond, which you can get by completing Spider’s wanted escapee bounties.

New Strike

In terms of playable content, there’s also a new Strike called Broodhold that’s set on the Tangled Shore and has you taking on the Hive. If you’re eager to see what you’ve been missing, you can launch directly into the Strike from the Director; you’ll see an icon for it to the left of the map when checking out the Tangled Shore.

Beyond this old content that Xbox One and PC users finally have access to, there’s also a new Exotic that Destiny 2 Shadowkeep and New Light players can look forward to getting. Eriana’s Vow is part of the new battle pass reward track, and if you’ve bought Shadowkeep (thus granting you access to the Season of the Undying’s premium rewards tier), you can acquire this Exotic gun and a set of armor right away. For free players, you’ll need to advance further into the battle pass before snagging the weapon.

from GameSpot – Game News https://www.gamespot.com/articles/you-can-finally-get-destiny-2s-ps4-exclusive-gear-/1100-6470280/

The Last of Us 2 Enemies All Have A Heartbeat

Clickers and raiders may be the enemies in Naughty Dog’s The Last of Us Part II, but everyone has a heart. According to the game’s co-director, TLOU2 has some new tech that makes heartbeats a vital part of engagement.

Co-director Anthony Newman sat down with Polygon to explain how the tech works. “Just [about] every facet of the game [has been] updated [to] some new level,” he said. “One of them is the audio where, I’m not sure if you noticed it, but as Ellie sprints around and then she settles, she’ll kind of catch her breath.” Doing any sort of activity, like sprinting or engaging in combat or even being near enemies, will cause Ellie’s heart rate to shoot up. There isn’t a stamina meter or a mandated heartbeat, but the elevated heart rates do alter how you approach many of the game’s tense situations.

“What’s happening behind the scenes is [Ellie] has a heart rate that is oscillating up and down,” Newman explained. “And that modulates the bucket of breathing sounds that she’s able to use.” Ellie isn’t the only character in TLOU2 who has a heartbeat. Every character, from other humans to the infected Clickers, has a heart powered by this tech.

Newman said he was able play a more sophisticated cat and mouse with Clickers because he could “kind of understand them by the noises they’re making.” He also said the same goes for humans who will experience a similar sort of “breathing and sprinting and stuff.” This likely means you will be able to sneak around with greater efficiency as enemies emit audible sounds that disclose their relative position.

TLOU2 made a huge splash during PlayStation’s September State of Play. Alongside uncovering a few details, including its length and how many discs its on, we learned the game will finally launch on February 21, 2020 exclusively for PS4.

from GameSpot – Game News https://www.gamespot.com/articles/the-last-of-us-2-enemies-all-have-a-heartbeat/1100-6470278/

The Last Of Us 2’s New Upgrade System Will Drastically Change The Way You Play

One of the several gameplay additions coming to The Last Of Us Part II is a new upgrade system. We recently got our hands on the game at a preview event, and it seems upgrades are more than just a way to make Ellie stronger; they’ll drastically change the way you play. GameSpot editor Phil Hornshaw spent time with the game and also spoke to co-director Anthony Newman about the feature.

When Phil inquired about the upgrade system, Newman said, “There was so much we really wanted to explore in terms of player strategy. We really wanted to try and double-down on allowing players to express themselves strategically and find their own way to play the game. And so something I’m really thrilled about is the new player upgrade system where rather than having upgrades that are just minor stat booths to different things, we really wanted to have upgrades that potentially unlocked entirely new abilities or just had drastic effects on the way that you played a game.”

It seems that several gameplay mechanics will stack as you improve Ellie’s capabilities, Newman gave an example saying, “One totally new ability you can get is holding your breath while aiming to steady your aim. It doesn’t come by default but you can learn it over time.” These can overlap with other systems, and Newman continued, “There are entire crafting recipes, like the silencer for the pistol, that you can only learn via the player upgrade system. Or some really extreme upgrades where you can craft two of an item for the same resources. You can craft two trap mines or two smoke bombs for the same resources.”

By the sound of it, different players may end up with different gameplay experiences gameplay in The Last Of Us Part II, but aren’t beholden to a specific ‘build’ per se. As Newman concluded, “You can find these synergies between playstyle, a set of weapon upgrades that you get at the workbench, a set of player upgrades that all create this confluence of a unique version of the game for yourself.”

Plenty of news has come out for The Last Of Us Part II and we have you covered from every angle. The ways in which you’ll be able to change your play style may also feed into some of the new challenges you’ll face, such as attack dogs that’ll sniff you out and make stealth tougher. For a deeper dive into the game, be sure to read our in-depth preview of The Last Of Us Part II or watch our impressions from the preview event. And if you haven’t seen the latest State of Play livestream from Sony, you can catch a glimpse of gameplay and story from the game.

from GameSpot – Game News https://www.gamespot.com/articles/the-last-of-us-2s-new-upgrade-system-will-drastica/1100-6470122/

PlayStation 4 Cross-Play Is Reportedly Out Of Beta

Sony has reportedly made a change to its platform policies, quietly taking PS4 cross-play out of beta. That means the console will support any game that wants to implement cross-play. We’ve already seen it come to PUBG and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare looks to be the first game that will have it at launch.

Wired reports that the company made the move official alongside other pro-growth changes, including a price drop for PlayStation Now. GameSpot has contacted Sony for clarification.

Sony had been long reluctant to embrace cross-play, despite increasing pressure from developers and competitors. That changed just over a year ago, when Sony relented and allowed it in limited capacity as a beta, keeping it to select games. This move represents an opening of the capability to any developer that wants to take advantage of it.

Of course, it will still rely on studios to implement the feature. Blizzard recently commented that cross-play on Overwatch, for example, is harder than people realize.

The price drop for PlayStation Now effectively halved the cost of the service, putting it roughly on par with Xbox’s competing Game Pass subscription. It also added God of War (2018), Infamous: Second Son, Grand Theft Auto V, and Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End as part of the subscription library for a limited time. Sony also appears to be preparing itself for streaming competitors with Microsoft’s xCloud and the launch of Google Stadia, as PlayStation Now offers a rotating library of streaming games that can be played on PS4 or PC.

from GameSpot – Game News https://www.gamespot.com/articles/playstation-4-cross-play-is-reportedly-out-of-beta/1100-6470279/

Sony Loses Another Top PlayStation Exec

Following the news that Sony Interactive Entertainment’s chairman for Worldwide Studios, Shawn Layden, has left the company, Sony’s Japanese branch is undergoing a shakeup of its own.

According to a Gematsu report, Atsushi Morita has retired “due to age.” Morita served as SIE Japan Asia’s president and SIE’s corporate director. Kazuhiko Takeda, who was named the company’s deputy president and CFO in July 2018, will serve as the new corporate director. Morita worked as VP of administration and control, as well as several other roles, before taking the presidential and CEO position in 2014. Sony has yet to name a new president of its Japanese branch.

Unlike Morita’s immediate departure, Layden’s timeline is still unknown. Though Layden plans to leave PlayStation soon, a specific date has yet to be confirmed. Sony wished Layden “success in his future endeavors” and thanked him for all his work in a Twitter post.

While Sony’s preparing for the next-generation of gaming with what has been unofficially dubbed the PlayStation 5, the company has confirmed the PS4 has been a huge success, shipping a current total 100 million consoles to date.

from GameSpot – Game News https://www.gamespot.com/articles/sony-loses-another-top-playstation-exec/1100-6470276/

Pokemon Go Reveals New Team Rocket Bosses

It appears some new villains are set to invade Pokemon Go very soon. Following a series of teaser images released earlier this week, Niantic has revealed three new members of Team Rocket who are on their way to the hit Pokemon mobile game.

Niantic shared pictures of the new Team Rocket members on the official Pokemon Go Twitter account, along with each of their names. While we didn’t learn much about the new characters, it appears they’re high-ranking members of the evil organization, as all three are also featured on a new loading screen alongside Team Rocket leader Giovanni.

This is also another indication that Giovanni himself will soon make an appearance in the mobile game. Players first spotted the evil Team Rocket boss during the Pokemon Go Fest event in Yokohama, Japan earlier this summer, where he photobombe AR Snapshots that were taken at the venue, although he hasn’t be spotted in the game since.

It’s unclear when the new Team Rocket bosses will actually debut in Pokemon Go, although Rocket Grunts have appeared regularly since July. The evil trainers can be encountered at certain Poke Stops, and they’ll challenge players to a battle using their Shadow Pokemon. If you defeat the Rocket Grunt, you’ll have a chance to rescue one of their Shadow Pokemon and purify it, raising its stats.

In the meantime, a lot is happening in Pokemon Go this month. Altered Forme Giratina is back in Raid Battles, and it’ll be featured in many of this month’s Legendary Raid Hours. Meanwhile, October’s Community Day takes place next Saturday, October 12. The featured Pokemon this month is Trapinch, the first form of Flygon.

from GameSpot – Game News https://www.gamespot.com/articles/pokemon-go-reveals-new-team-rocket-bosses/1100-6470274/